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Heat Notes: Dragic, Injuries, Richardson

December 10th, 2016 at 3:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Things in Miami have changed significantly since Goran Dragic was acquired at the 2015 trade deadline, with Dwyane Wade no longer in the picture and Chris Bosh seemingly on his way out as well. The Heat are in a retooling phase, and the injury woes plaguing the team this season have made it difficult for the new-look roster to gel. Still, Dragic tells Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders that he remains optimistic about the club’s future.

“This is a young team,” Dragic said. “We have a lot of newer faces than last year, and we just need to find that good chemistry that we had in the preseason. But, it’s kind of hard because with all those injuries, players are out, [so] it’s always a different starting lineup or different players on the floor. Hopefully, that won’t happen in the future.”

Here’s more from Dragic, along with a couple more Heat notes:

Dragic on Wade’s decision to leave the Heat for the Bulls this past summer: “I was in shock because he was there 13 years. I would never imagine he was going to go somewhere else because, the Miami Heat, everyone knows that was D-Wade’s team. But I understand, this is a part of the business. When that happened, I was talking with him and I wished him all the best in Chicago. He’s a good friend of mine, and it is what it is. We’re all professionals, so we need to do our jobs and I had to embrace a new, bigger role, but I’m fine with that.”
The Heat had a busy offseason, having been active in free agency, which means next Thursday is a big day for the team, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. As of that day, December 15, nearly all the players the team signed in the summer will become trade-eligible. Of course, as Winderman notes, Pat Riley has never made a trade in December since taking over as Heat president, so we shouldn’t expect the team to make a move right away — particularly since some potential trade chips are injured at the moment.
Speaking of injured players, Winderman provides an update on Josh Richardson‘s status in a separate piece for The Sun Sentinel.

Eastern Rumors: Cousins, Noel, George

December 1st, 2016 at 10:39pm CST by Dana Gauruder

DeMarcus Cousins is well aware that many Celtics fans want him in Boston but he hasn’t ruled out signing an extension with the Kings, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com reports. Cousins, who isn’t eligible to hit the free agent market until 2018, told Blakely he would not rule out the possibility of staying with Sacramento long-term. “I got a season and a whole other season,” Cousins said. “I focus on these guys right here; I focus on winning games; I focus on making the playoffs; that’s it.” However, Cousins is unfazed about the constant trade chatter, in which Boston is prominently mentioned as a logical match. “Most of the rumors come from people who want me on their team,” he told Blakely. “It doesn’t bother me.”

In other news around the Eastern Conference:

Nerlens Noel isn’t happy about the logjam in the Sixers’ frontcourt, Marc Narducci of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Noel is skeptical that there will be enough minutes to go around, now that Joel Embiid has established himself, Narducci continues. “I don’t think the roster’s changed,” Noel told Narducci. Noel, sidelined by a knee injury since training camp, returned to the team on Thursday after working out with its D-League affiliate. But coach Brett Brown estimates Noel will miss four or five more games, Narducci adds.
Guard Josh Richardson returned to Miami during the Heat’s current three-game road trip to get treatment for his sore ankle, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports. Richardson suffered the injury against the Celtics on Monday. Miami is already playing without two of its top wings, Justise Winslow and Dion Waiters, due to injuries. “It’s an easy decision for us,” coach Erik Spoelstra told Winderman and other beat writers. “His ankle is really sore. He has a bunch of other little, minor things going on. So we just wanted to go back, get his body right, feel right for the next three days, four days. We’ll reevaluate him then.”
Pacers star Paul George plans to return to action on Sunday after missing six of the last seven games with an ankle injury, according to Nate Taylor of the Indianapolis Star. George feels like his team, which is one game under .500, needs his leadership on the court. “I think just sitting out and watching, I’ve got to get back to being the guy for us,” he told Taylor. “I’ve got to have the trust of the team, I’ve got to have the trust of the organization. This has been my group, this has been my team. I’ve got to get back to that.”

Heat Notes: Waiters, Whiteside, Johnson, Richardson

November 5th, 2016 at 3:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

It won’t get the attention that Kevin Durant‘s first game against Oklahoma City did, but Dion Waiters is preparing for his own battle with the Thunder, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The Heat will travel Monday to OKC, where Waiters probably would have stayed if Durant had decided to. Instead, the Thunder opted to use Waiters’ cap space to sign Russell Westbrook to an extension, and the fifth-year guard headed to Miami. Waiters spent a season and a half in Oklahoma City and has fond memories of his time there. “The team there really turned me into a pro,” Waiters said. “I really matured there a lot. Just embracing the whole atmosphere and the city, just how much the team and everybody means to the community was huge. I mean, that’s probably the best time I had, in my experiences, and then my first time in the playoffs.”

There’s more from Miami:

This year’s extensions put into perspective the big-money deals the Heat signed during the summer, Winderman writes in a separate piece. Miami gave center Hassan Whiteside $98MM over four seasons, which is less than the four-year, $102MM extension Rudy Gobert just got from Utah or the four-year, $100MM extension that Steven Adams received from Oklahoma City. And the four-year, $50MM offer sheet the Heat matched for Tyler Johnson is less than the deals just given to Victor Oladipo, Gorgui Dieng, Cody Zeller or Dennis Schroder. “You’re going to look back at deals like this right now later on down the line and they aren’t going to look like a whole lot,” Johnson said. “Some of these superstars are going to be up there … and it’s going to be crazy.”
Guard Josh Richardson made his season debut Friday night, less than two months after suffering a knee injury in September, notes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Richardson missed all four of his shots and committed two turnovers, but was on the floor for his defense in the fourth quarter. “I felt fine,” he said. “I’ve got to trust my knee fully. I’ve got to find a rhythm. I told [coach Erik Spoelstra] going into halftime that I felt good. My teammates were encouraging me the whole game. I feel ready.”
James Johnson, one of Miami’s many offseason additions, enjoyed returning to Toronto for Friday’s game, writes Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun. Johnson had two stints with the Raptors and was a crowd favorite. “We made something happen last year and it was good to see the guys that we made it happen with,” Johnson said.

Heat Notes: Udrih, Richardson, Johnson, Spoelstra

October 10th, 2016 at 7:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Veteran point guard Beno Udrih wants to get past the injury that ended his season in February and the controversy that surrounded his release from Miami, relays Manny Navarro of The Miami Herald. Udrih hopes to take the court this week after being sidelined with tightness in his back. It will be his first game action since undergoing surgery for a torn plantar plate in his right foot. A week after the procedure, he agreed to a buyout, sacrificing $90K in a move that brought the Heat under the luxury tax and enabled them to sign Joe Johnson. Udrih re-signed with Miami in August and wants to prove he can still contribute despite the injuries and despite turning 34 in July. “I’m just going to be me, try to be consistent and bring some leadership, some pace to the game and maybe with that leadership and experience that I gained during the last 12, 13 years, just slow things down sometimes,” he said. “Sometimes, maybe, we play a little bit too fast.”

There’s more news out of Miami:

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra says no timetable has been set regarding Josh Richardson‘s return from injury because the team wants to be careful about rushing him back, Navarro writes in the same story. Richardson suffered a partially torn MCL in his left knee in September and was projected to have a six- to eight-week recovery time. When he does return, the second-year guard can expect to take on a variety of roles. “That’s the strength and ultimately the necessity of this roster — ultimately it’s the versatility,” Spoelstra said. “Guys have to be able to play in different spots and different positions on the floor. We talk about it all the time, but it’s reality. J-Rich is used to that. He literally he can play anywhere — the three perimeter positions offensively and defensively.”
Tuesday’s preseason game will give Tyler Johnson his first chance to see the Nets since they gave him a four-year, $50MM offer sheet, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Miami matched the offer to keep the 24-year-old combo guard, who is grateful to the Nets for setting his price so high. “I could tell from the get-go that they were very interested,” Johnson said. “And they were working with me very well during contract negotiations. So, yeah, I’m very appreciative of what they did and setting that price point, for sure.”
This offseason provided the ultimate test for Spoelstra’s philosophy of moving forward, notes Jeff Zillgett of USA Today. The Heat had to deal with Dwyane Wade‘s departure, Chris Bosh‘s failed physical and a massive roster upheaval, but Spoelstra doesn’t want to use any of that as an excuse for failure. “This team that I’m coaching right now, what they deserve is my absolute full attention and commitment,” Spoelstra said. “That’s what they’re getting. … What you have is different challenges each year, and we’re in this profession to develop teams, to get players to learn how to serve and sacrifice and play for something bigger than themselves.”

Josh Richardson Suffers Knee Injury

September 10th, 2016 at 12:23pm CST by Eddie Scarito

SEPTEMBER 10th: Richardson has been told that he will miss six to eight weeks due to his knee injury, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel relays (via Twitter).

SEPTEMBER 9th: Heat swingman Josh Richardson has suffered a partially torn MCL in his right knee, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports (on Twitter). His return time will depend on how well his rehabilitation efforts go, the scribe adds. Based on Charania’s wording, it does not appear that surgery is currently planned for the player. Richardson suffered the injury during practice when he landed awkwardly after a dunk attempt, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald tweets.

This news is certainly a blow to the Heat, who touted the second-year player as one of their building blocks and defensive leaders. The only consolation for Miami is that the team is deep in the backcourt and were going to have to do some rotation shuffling in order to dole out playing time to the other guards and swingmen on its roster.

Richardson was the No. 40 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft and he appeared in 52 games for the Heat in 2015/16. The 22-year-old posted averages of 6.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 21.3 minutes per outing. His shooting line on the campaign was .452/.461/.667. His contract for this season, which is fully guaranteed, will pay him $874,636.

Southeast Notes: Spoelstra, Ibaka, Splitter

August 16th, 2016 at 3:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra made no mention of Chris Bosh in two video messages posted today on the team’s website, relays Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. The status of the veteran big man remains uncertain after his past two seasons were cut short because of blood clots. Spoelstra singled out Hassan Whiteside, Josh Richardson, Justise Winslow and Tyler Johnson as defensive leaders who will define the team in the post-Dwyane Wade era. “You learn pretty quickly in this league that your roster is going to change,” Spoelstra said, “sometimes your staff changes. Expectations change. It’s like that every year. Just when you get comfortable, it will change. This is a new challenge. We’re embracing the change. We’re excited about the future, excited about the guys we have on our team. You also have to have the right kind of players.” Owner Micky Arison named Bosh as part of the Heat’s future in a recent letter to Miami fans.

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

The Magic can offer an extension to newly acquired power forward Serge Ibaka, writes Bobby Marks of The Vertical. Ibaka, whom Orlando picked up in a draft-night deal with the Thunder, is about to enter the last season of a four-year, $49MM extension he received from Oklahoma City. Ibaka would be limited to a 4.5% raise from his $12.2MM salary in the first year of an extension because the Magic are over the salary cap, Marks notes, and because he has been traded in the past six months Ibaka can only have two years added to his contract.
Tiago Splitter believes the Hawks will be a much better defensive team with Dwight Howard replacing Al Horford at center, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He also cited an improvement in defense at point guard, where Dennis Schroder is taking over for the traded Jeff Teague. “[Howard] is a little bit more of a defensive player than Al, more rebounds, more physical presence on the court,” Splitter said. “That is going to change our team. … Dennis, he is also a great defender. He’s a better defender than Jeff. He will pressure the point guard the whole court.” Splitter, who had hip surgery in February and was limited to 36 games last season, also figures to improve the defense with his return to the lineup.
The Hawks hired Richard Midgley as their west coast scout, Vivlamore writes in a separate story. Midgley has been a coach at Modesto Christian High School in California for the past two seasons.

Heat Notes: Udrih, Williams, Ellington, Bosh

August 14th, 2016 at 11:33am CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat could use a veteran like Beno Udrih to serve as a backup to Goran Dragic, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Miami doesn’t have anyone else on its roster who has played point guard on a regular basis at the NBA level, and Winderman points out that Dragic, who missed 10 games last season, is susceptible to injury with his attacking style of play. The Heat reportedly have a “standing invitation” for Udrih to join them in training camp on a veterans’ minimum contract if he can’t get a better deal elsewhere. Udrih played 36 games with Miami last season before agreeing to a buyout in February to help the team avoid the luxury tax.

There’s more news out of Miami:

There could be a shortage of minutes on the front line for recent additions Derrick Williams, James Johnson and Luke Babbitt, Winderman notes in the same piece. They will essentially be competing at the same position, and shooting guards Josh Richardson, Dion Waiters, Wayne Ellington and Tyler Johnson could all see time at small forward because of an overcrowded backcourt.
Ellington is a prime candidate to be traded once this year’s offseason signees are eligible to be dealt starting December 15th, Winderman writes in a separate story. The Heat signed the 28-year-old shooting guard away from the Nets in July, but later added Waiters in free agency. Winderman believes Ellington will have to be exceptional from 3-point range to earn a regular spot in the Heat’s rotation. He shot 36% from long distance last season and is at 38% for his career.
The Heat are “cautiously optimistic” that Chris Bosh will be able to play this season, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. However, he cautions that nothing is certain with the veteran big man, who has had his last two seasons cut short by blood clots.

Eastern Notes: Pistons, Smith, Ellington

August 7th, 2016 at 11:31am CST by ChrisCrouse

Owner Tom Gores has no problem paying the luxury tax should the Pistons need to cross the apron to keep their young core together, as he tells Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.

“Look, if we weren’t building a core, there’s really no point in paying the luxury tax,” Gores said. “Because we are building a core, would I do it? Yeah, absolutely. This is a tremendous team. If you go down the line, player by player, and especially our young folks, these are real players…So you say go into the luxury tax for nothing, then that would be silly because then we’re putting the franchise behind. But given that we have such a good core, if that’s what it took, and we feel we’ve made such progress this year, I wouldn’t hesitate to do it because we want to keep getting better.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Gores believes executive/coach Stan Van Gundy has done an excellent job for the Pistons‘ front office because of his communication skills, as he tells Ellis in the same piece. “I’ve seen him be a president and a coach, but also a leader and an executive that really understands how to run a business. He’s running the business of basketball,” Gores said. “I’ve heard people say is he better GM than he was a coach.”
The Celtics could have made an offer to J.R. Smith this offseason, but that door closed when the team used most of its remaining cap space to re-sign Tyler Zeller, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes.
Wayne Ellington could end up being more of a 3-point specialist than he expected when he signed with the Heat this offseason, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel speculates. Winderman believes earmarking minutes for Josh Richardson on the wing will be a priority for the franchise due to his upside. That, along with the signing of Dion Waiters, may leave Ellington on the bench for the majority of games.

Rockets To Keep Michael Beasley

July 31st, 2016 at 10:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Rockets will hold on to combo forward Michael Beasley, whose contract guarantee date is Monday, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Beasley’s salary for next season will be $1,403,611 if Houston does keep him on the roster.

Beasley became an impact player for the Rockets late in the season after signing with the team March 4th following the end of his season in China. Beasley appeared in 20 games for Houston, averaging 12.8 points and 4.9 rebounds in 18.2 minutes per night.

The 27-year-old Beasley was the second player taken in the 2008 draft, but he admits that he damaged his career with a lack of effort and a series of off-court incidents. Beasley was part of the Rockets’ Las Vegas Summer League roster earlier this month and spent most of the time as a mentor, telling younger players not to make the same mistakes he did.

Other players with salary guarantee dates on Monday are the Heat’s Rodney McGruder [$150,000 of $543,471 salary becomes guaranteed] and Josh Richardson [full $874,636 salary] and the Pacers’ Glenn Robinson III [full $1,050,500 salary].

Heat Notes: Richardson, Wade, Waiters

July 31st, 2016 at 2:07pm CST by Will Joseph

Josh Richardson‘s minimum salary deal doesn’t become guaranteed until August 1st, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel reports. It’s the maturity of the 2015 second round draft pick of the Heat which allowed him to play without thinking about the situation, the scribe relays. Richardson’s minimum-scale 2017/18 salary doesn’t become guaranteed until June 30th, Winderman adds.

Here’s more out of Miami:

Rodney McGruder‘s guarantee will jump from $100,000 for the upcoming season to $150,000 on Aug. 1st, Winderman relays in the same post.
If the Heat had offered more money up front or money for a third season then Dwyane Wade would have never bolted for the Bulls, Winderman contends in a mailbag response. It’s not like Wade had a falling out with one of the Heat’s veterans, so the star leaving for his hometown was very much a money issue, Winderman adds.
The Heat recently added Heat Dion Waiters and the team is looking at him as a potential starter at shooting guard, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald details. Last season, however, Waiters’ stats indicate that he was far better as a backup, as Jackson points out.